How star-studded Philippine crowd made BLACKPINK return feel ‘special’
MANILA, Philippines — Whenever BLACKPINK is in your area, you can’t help but be in awe of their heart-stopping show and jaw-dropping performances, just as what BLINKs witnessed during the Philippine leg of BLACKPINK’s “Deadline” world tour, held last weekend at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.
Accompanied by their backup dancers and live band and complemented by a visual spectacle of confetti showers and pyrotechnics, the famous South Korean girl group had the crowd dancing and singing to their hits during their much-anticipated return to the country.
The STAR attended the first night of their two-day, sold-out show at the arena, which was presented by Live Nation Philippines.
A sea of pink illuminated the venue from the crowd’s Bl-Ping-Bong lightsticks, and reverberating screams echoed even before the concert began. When the countdown started, the girls, clad in black-and-white outfits, ascended from a platform and launched into a high-octane opening act of Kill This Love, followed by Pink Venom.
“Annyeonghaseyo,” Rosé, Jennie, Lisa and Jisoo welcomed the audience to the “Deadline” show, which lasted for more than two hours, then hit the stage with fiery executions of How You Like That and Playing With Fire.
In Acts Two and Four, each member had her moment to shine as they delivered their solo sets, including Jisoo’s flirty Hugs & Kisses and Earthquake and Jennie’s like JENNIE, ExtraL and Starlight.
Lisa channeled her inner rockstar with Thunder, When I’m With You and Rockstar, tracks from her debut solo studio album, “Alter Ego,” while Rosé played number one girl, toxic till the end and of course, the award-winning collaboration with Bruno Mars, Apt. A young fan even joined Rosé on stage for her final set.
Rosé was spotted enjoying turon behind-the-scenes before taking the stage for a stripped-down version of number one girl, backed by a guitarist.
“You guys cheering for us reminded me I was like ah… You guys make me believe I’m BLACKPINK,” she told the spectators and the screams went louder. “Before I got up, I didn’t feel like very special but your screams, cheers and presence made me feel (great)… I hope each and every one of you guys feel like No.1s tonight. As I sing this song, let’s manifest feeling like No.1s.”
Midway through her performance, Rosé struggled with her voice and asked if they could try it one more time. “I’m gonna have you guys help me out if that’s OK. I really had a bad cold yesterday. So, please help me,” she requested of the fans.
What happened next was a touching moment: BLINKs chanted her name to cheer her on and the crowd gladly sang along to help her finish the song.
In Act Three, the quartet expressed how much they greatly missed their Filipino supporters and talked about everything Filipino. Their last visit to the country was in 2023 for their “BORN PINK World Tour,” which was also held at the same venue.
Lisa and Rosé shared that they had tried the local mangoes and “it was so good,” they said. Each member also spoke the Tagalog phrase, “Mahal ko kayo talaga,” which elicited a loud, enthusiastic response from the eventgoers.
“Da best kayo, Philippines! Da best kayo,” Rosé repeatedly said. “It’s been such a long time and we missed you so much. Time flies. It’s already been two years, but we’re back already… Mahal ko kayo talaga, such a pretty language.”
After which, Jisoo whistled, a cue to their next ditty, Whistle, then Stay and Lovesick Girls, during which they gracefully walked around the stage, showing off their sultry moves and clapping their hands with the audience.
“Make a heart for BLACKPINK,” a prompt on the stage video screen read, and the mammoth crowd eagerly complied.
The last segment transformed the arena into a house-party atmosphere as they indulged the audience with pulsating, electrifying performances of JUMP, BOOMBAYAH, DDU-DU DDU-DU and other high-energy tunes.
Rosé took the opportunity again to explain what happened during her set.
“Yesterday, I really had a bad cold, and I was worried. So, I prayed, and I woke up, and I was like, ‘Oh, I feel good.’ My voice is OK. I took medicine, but then as I was coming up, I was like, ‘Oh, no, I think I kinda lost (it),” she recalled.
“So, thank you everybody for singing with me. This doesn’t happen often where I had completely lost my falsetto. I had a cold. So, thank you so much. How do you say thank you in the Philippines?” she continued.
The crowd chorused, “Salamat.” And Rosé echoed the Tagalog word and added, “You guys honestly sounded more beautiful than I do.”
To show their appreciation for BLINKs, the girls took notice of the creative banners, read the messages from their fans, admired the costumes worn during the concert and formed a heart gesture for everyone.
During the “Dance Challenge,” some of the attendees gamely swayed to BLACKPINK hits, including Pauleen Luna-Sotto with her daughter Tali. The event also became a bonding moment for celebrities and their children, such as Dingdong Dantes with his daughter Zia; sisters Cristine Reyes and Ara Mina with their children; Paolo Contis with his daughters and ex-partner Lian Paz, and other showbiz figures.
Returning for the encore, BLACKPINK once again bopped along to JUMP, Really and See U Later. They snapped a group photo with the crowd as a burst of confetti rained down, mentioned their names one by one, said “Kamsahamnida” and bowed to their legion of followers.
“We love you so much. Thank you for being here, for supporting us. Thank you, BLINKs,” Rosé concluded.
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